After the Storm
by CereuleanBlue
Summary: Harry x Hermione. Set right after the last battle at Hogwarts. What happens when Hermione takes Harry somewhere to relax after his final fight with Voldemort?


Title: After the Storm

_For CandraJade the winner of my Support Stacie Author Auction. September 2009. I know you only bought 2,500 words, but I'm a wordy bitch so it got a little longer (okay a lot longer). . .Hope you don't mind too much._

_Okay this fic begins in the Great Hall immediately after the defeat of Voldemort. Everyone at Hogwarts has gathered there to celebrate._

_P.S. When I wrote the bathtub scene, I was watching Baz Luhrman's __Romeo + Juliet's__ swimming pool scene. Ah, sweet inspiration._

Harry Potter sank wearily onto one of the benches in the Great Hall and buried his face in his hands. The noise around him continued on no matter how much he willed it to stop. He felt the fatigue from the events of last night weigh heavily on his shoulders. His hands and face were covered with grime from the battle that he hadn't bothered to wash away. He'd tried his best to join in the celebrations with the others, but all his heart truly desired was to find a place to be alone with those who were closest to him.

He felt a familiar presence behind him and looked up just in time to see Hermione rest her hand gently on his shoulder. She smiled softly.

"You look tired."

Harry merely shrugged. In all truth, he felt exhausted.

"I can tell. You are ready to get out of here." Hermione has leaned in to whisper softly in his ear. He could feel her warm breath gently stirring his hair. He felt a jolt of electricity travel down his spine at the sensation. She continued, "Just wait here a minute."

Hermione walked across the vast room to the place where Luna sat dreamily looking into space. The two girls spoke inaudibly for a moment before Hermione turned and walked purposefully back to Harry with the slightest smile on her face. As she reached the spot where he sat staring quizzically, Luna stood from her seat pointing towards the ceiling.

"Look everyone, a Blibbering Humdinger."

As everyone in the room turned to look, Harry felt something slithering over his shoulders, and the world took on the hazy appearance he'd grown accustomed to while looking through the material of his invisibility cloak.

"Meet me at the Room of Requirement in ten minutes."

Harry's heart leapt in his chest with the sensation of freedom. Instead of being tied down to this spot he was finally free to go where he pleased, and there was nothing that would please him more than spending some time with one of his two best friends on the face of the Earth. So he quickly made his way through the crowd of witches and wizards that filled the Great Hall.

He passed Ron sitting with his mother and sister at one of the long tables that lined the room. There would be plenty of time to speak to the Weasleys. Days, weeks, months, years . . . Now that Voldemort was gone time stretched out before him in a seemingly endless swath. He had grown so used to living from one day, or even one minute, to the next that it was amazing to him not to have to look behind his back every second of every day for the rest of his life.

As he passed through the enormous doors that lay open to the rest of Hogwarts he felt lighter than he had ever felt before in his entire life. His feet almost seemed to fly up the stairs to the seventh floor, and, before he knew where he was at, he found himself in front of the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy that brought back memories of the DA. He felt his heart give an involuntary twitch when the friends he had lost, and all his weariness came crashing back down on him like a ton of bricks.

He paced back and forth in front of the tapestry wishing for nothing more than a hot bath and a comfortable place to rest. When he turned to face the formerly empty wall across from the tapestry he found a familiar door had appeared. Harry hesitated for just a moment before opening the door. Just as he was turning the handle, he heard footsteps hurrying down the corridor behind him. He turned to face the source of the sound and failed to remember that he was still wearing the invisibility cloak. He pressed himself against the wall holding his breath waiting for someone to come and discover him standing here.

A few seconds later, he let all the air rush out of his lungs as he saw a familiar face coming around the corner.

"Harry, are you here?" Hermione whispered, looking carefully around the corridor.

Harry laughed and allowed the cloak's hood to slip down around his ears exposing his face. "Right here, Hermione."

Hermione jumped and stifled a shriek at the sight of Harry's bodiless head floating in the air before her. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from making any more noise as her body began to convulse with silent laughter. The mood around the two of them began to palpably lift as the two of them fought to keep from laughing aloud. After a few minutes, Hermione reached through the cloak and grabbed Harry's hand pulling him towards the door in the wall.

She slowly twisted the handle, and the door swung gently open revealing the contents of the room to their waiting eyes. Harry's wishes as he paced the corridor had been obvious once the room was opened. The room was richly furnished with burgundy and gold the same colors found in Gryffindor tower. A crackling fire burned in a huge fireplace filling the room with its light and warmth. In the far corner stood a bath tub the size of a small swimming pool sunken into the floor. Surrounding the fireplace were several of what looked to be the most comfortable couches either of them had ever seen. A huge four poster bed surrounded by curtains of burgundy brocade stood behind a screen opposite the couches.

"Wow," Hermione breathed the word out almost silently, and the two of them stood still mesmerized by the sight before them. They had both been in the room of requirement on many occasions, but never before had it been so amazingly prepared. Slowly, Hermione drew Harry into the door and gently closed it behind her.

Harry shrugged the cloak from his shoulders and lowered it onto one of the couches where it pooled into a shimmering pile of fabric.

"Okay, into the tub." Hermione turned to face him.

"Umm. . . Hermione. . . I don't. . ." Harry hesitated for a moment, and Hermione's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Oh God, Harry. I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought . . ." She stammered for a moment, the color rising in her cheeks. "I just thought you needed a good hot bath. I know I could use one myself. It's been a long night." She spoke quickly as if in a hurry to get the words out of her mouth and looked down at her hands twisting them into nervous pretzels.

After spending so much time together in a small tent in thee woods with Hermione, it amazed Harry that there was anything they could feel awkward about, but their shared sense of purpose in tracking down the Horcruxes was gone. Harry felt a moment of worry. What would happen to them all now that everything was done? His mind slipped into a future in which they had all gone their separate ways. A future in which he was completely alone. The feeling of Hermione's hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.

"Harry are you alright?" She looked concerned, and Harry wondered how long he'd been standing there daydreaming.

"I'm fine Hermione. Just promise me something, would you?"

"Of course."

"Promise me that no matter what happens now we'll always be friends. We'll always keep in touch." He looked down at the floor and felt the prickle of tears stinging his eyes.

"Is that what the matter is? Harry," she placed one hand under his chin and pulled his face up to meet hers, "after all that we've been through together, do you honestly think that we could just let things slip apart?"

Harry looked into her eyes and saw the sincerity there. He immediately felt stupid for the ideas that had been playing themselves out in his thoughts. How could he ever think that things would just end now? He decided to lighten the mood a little.

"Last one in is a rotten egg." He laughed and pulled his jumper over his head heading quickly towards the tub surrounded with steam from the water that filled it nearly to the brim.

"Harry!" Hermione's voice sounded shocked. Harry laughed.

"It's alright Hermione, how about we promise to keep our underclothes on. That should cover up as much as a bathing suit right?"

She laughed. "Fine, I guess." Before, Harry could free his arms from the jumper, Harry felt Hermione push him to one side knocking him off his feet onto the carpeted floor. He heard her laugh and a splash as he righted himself throwing his jumper to the floor. When he scrambled to his feet, he looked at the tub which revealed nothing but a halo of curls surrounding Hermione's face peering of the edge.

"Guess who's a rotten egg." She smiled.

"You cheated." Harry laughed. "Now turn around so I can finish undressing."

Hermione obediently turned to face the far wall of the room. When she felt and heard the water stir as Harry entered the bath, she turned and splashed him. The two of them played like children in the warm water for awhile swimming around each other in circles. The water was deep enough that their feet could barely touch the bottom in the center, and the bubbles hid all but their heads from view above the surface.

Before long the two of them were completely soaked from head to toe. Harry didn't think he'd ever felt so happy or free in his entire life. His heart felt full to bursting at the simple childish act of swimming. For once in his life there was nothing standing in between him and happiness.

Hermione ducked under the water and swam between Harry's legs surfacing behind him so quickly that she startled him. She quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and drug him backwards under the water. They hung there in limbo for a moment with Hermione's arms and legs wrapped around Harry's torso. The few seconds that they were underwater stretched out into an eternity.

Harry could feel the skin of Hermione's stomach gently rubbing against his back. Her breasts pressed against his shoulder blades, and the heat between her thighs pulsed into his lower back. For the first time in his life, he was acutely aware of the fact that Hermione was a eighteen year old girl, and he was a seventeen year old boy. He could feel the blood rushing through his ears, and something stirred inside of him. A feeling crept into the pit of his stomach, something warm and tingling, that sent electrical jolts through the rest of his body. Every spot where her skin touched his was on fire.

Eventually the two of them came spluttering to the surface. Hermione released her grip on Harry, and he suddenly had the sensation that something important was missing like a piece of himself had been torn away. He turned to face Hermione, but she had kicked her way to the opposite side of the water and hoisted herself onto one of the benches that lined the edge of the tub.

"My fingers are wrinkling up. We probably ought to get washed up and get out of here Harry." She smiled and looked around the edges of the tub for something. After a minute she found what she was looking for and edged around the sides until she reached it. She reached over the outer edge, and when her hand reappeared, she had a bottle of green liquid clutched in it. Harry recognized it instantly as a bottle of shampoo, and pushed himself towards where she was sitting.

He pulled himself onto the bench beside her, and she turned to face him.

"Here Harry, turn around, and I'll help you wash your hair." She gestured for him to turn away from her. He lifted his legs onto the bench turning his back towards her again. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back to lean against her chest. The skin on skin contact once again sent tendrils of fire into Harry's body. When her hands entered his hair, He had to close his eyes from the sensation of her fingers on his scalp. It was the most pleasurable thing he had ever experienced. As her fingers explored the skin on his head, Harry could feel the blood leave his brain and rush down to the base of his abdomen. His boxers suddenly felt a size or two smaller, and he recognized the sensation of an erection beginning.

His face flushed, and he squirmed away from her grasp diving under the water to rinse the lather from the dark mop of hair on his head. He shook his head under the water to remove all traces of the soap before he surfaced. He looked around quickly when his head popped to the top of the water, but Hermione was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, she popped up in front of him, her face mere inches from his own. He could feel the heat from her body just a degree or two warmer than the water around them, and he felt his control beginning to slip.

Harry had always been careful to never lose control of himself in that way. He shared a room with four other boys here at Hogwarts, and that never provided much privacy for any of them. The Dursley's house never seemed like home to him either, so he was never comfortable enough to explore the thoughts that popped into his head occasionally. When he found himself in this situation he merely had to think about the things facing him, his relatives, Voldemort, classes at Hogwarts, Quidditch matches, and the myriad of other things that consumed his time, and he found himself quickly distracted enough to continue on with his day or night.

However, Hermione was right here in real life not something that existed only in his dreams, and he was finding it impossible to escape the feelings that bubbled to the surface of his mind. With her body so close to his there was nothing in the world that could distract him from the compulsion he felt to wrap himself up in her so completely that nothing could ever pull them apart. He felt a twinge of guilt when he thought of his best friend, Ron, remembering the way he looked at Hermione, but something had changed between Harry and Hermione during the lonely days in the tent when it seemed there was no one left in the world except the two of them.

She hovered next to him in the water for a moment before speaking.

"Harry, is something wrong? You seem kind of . . . distracted."

He didn't know how to answer her. He wasn't sure how she would respond to the truth, and he was frightened that she would reject him and end their friendship forever. Hermione brought her body a little closer to his in the water. Her hand found his under the soapy surface, and her fingers wound themselves around his.

"Please look at me," she whispered, and Harry could only obey. When his eyes found hers he saw something there that caused his heart to skip a beat.

She took his hand still wrapped in hers and brought it behind her back. Her fingers left his own and traveled slowly up his arm.

"Hermione, I don't . . ." His voice was stopped by her finger over his mouth.

"Harry, don't talk for a second. I have to tell you something, and if I don't get it out right now, I might never be able to do it again." He felt himself drawing her body inexorably closer to his own, and her form was slowly melting to match his own. "I've wanted to say something for awhile, but I wasn't sure how you would take it. And things just got so . . . out of control . . . while we were searching for the Horcruxes. When Ron left, I thought both our lives were over, but somehow things were okay. It's always been the three of us, you, Ron, and me, and I always felt like a fifth wheel when the two of you were together. But something felt right, when it was just the two of us."

Harry couldn't resist speaking. "I was so afraid you were going to get up and walk out on me, just like Ron did. That I would finally be truly alone, but you stayed. You don't know how much that meant to me."

"I never wanted to leave you Harry. I would never leave you unless you asked me to go." Her hand strayed up to Harry's face, and she stroked his cheek gently. By this time there bodies were touching at every point possible. Even the water felt cold, compared to the heat that surged between the two of them.

Hermione slowly closed the gap between their faces, the only one that remained between the two of them. Her lips gently brushed his, and her hand made its way back towards his hair pulling his face even closer to his. It wasn't Harry's first kiss, but it easily outstripped the others in his memory. His arms twined themselves around Hermione's waist, and his hands found the skin of her back kneading the muscles there gently.

His breathing became increasingly ragged as the kiss continued, but he felt as if he never wanted it to stop. He would gladly cease breathing altogether if he could spend eternity like this. His heart was ready to beat out of his chest, and he could feel Hermione's heart racing just as swiftly. Their hearts beat almost in perfect time with each other.

Harry breathed in sharply when he felt Hermione's legs begin to wrap themselves around his waist. The wet fabric of their underwear was all that separated the two of them. If he'd thought the fire in him couldn't burn any hotter, Harry had been mistaken. He felt as if he was about to be consumed, but it was the most wonderful burning that he'd ever felt. If this sensation could be distilled into a potion and bottled, he would have held it more precious than even the Elixir of Life.

After awhile, the two of them broke this kiss off reluctantly.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time." Hermione spoke first. "Harry, I love you." Her words came out in a breathy rush, and Harry wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

"Hold on a minute, Hermione. You what?"

She pushed herself away from him in the water. "I love you." She still spoke softly, but her words were clear as a crystal ball.

"Hermione, are you sure? I mean you and Ron . . ."

"Harry, I know what you think, but it's you. It's always been you. Ever since that Halloween with the mountain troll. You're the one who's been in my dreams at night. I hated Cho, and I was so jealous of Ginny even though she's one of my best friends. But you were my first friend, and my best friend."

Harry swam over to where Hermione was treading water carefully taking her hand in his own and bringing it to his lips.

"You should have told me Hermione."

"You were busy saving the world and being The Boy Who Lived. I didn't know where I could fit into all of that, but now it's done. Voldemort is gone, and if there's ever going to be room for me in your life it's now."

"So, you decided to tell me now."

"Oh, I hadn't really decided until a few minutes ago." Hermione suddenly looked vulnerable, and Harry wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and take care of her for the rest of eternity. He pulled her towards him, and brought his lips to her ear.

"I love you too, Hermione," he whispered gently in the shell of her ear stirring her brown curls with his breath. He planted a gentle kiss on her jawline causing her to exhale sharply and melt into him again.

"Do you want to get out of here?" She pulled back and looked at him shyly for a second. Harry realized that his fingers were quickly turning into prunes. He smiled at her.

"Come on," He pulled her to the edge of the water with him climbing out of the water first and offering a hand to help pull her after. He drew her from the water and wrapped her in one of the fluffy white towels waiting by the side of the bath before covering himself with the other. They made their way over to one of the couches before the fire to begin drying off.

Hermione sat down first and patted the seat next to her for Harry to take. When he sat down she drew even closer to him. He opened the towel at his chest and she leaned her head on him as he pulled the terrycloth around them both. They sat without speaking. Her head rested on his chest rising and falling with the intake of his breath.

Harry had never felt anything like this before in his life. He'd never been held by anyone, never had the chance to hold anyone else, and if there was anyone he would have chosen to be the person practically sitting in his lap, Hermione would have been his first pick.

After awhile, they began to dry, and he felt Hermione stirring beneath her towel. She turned to face him as he lay on the couch, and she gently crawled up to bring her lips to his. Harry's hands went to her sides, but he stopped short at the lace that trimmed the bottom of her bra.

She sensed his hesitation, and trailing kisses towards his ear she gently whispered, "It's okay Harry. You can take it off." He slid his hands around her back and fumbled with the clasp he found there. She giggled in his ear, as he finally found the secret to unlocking the clasp. He eased the straps softly down her arms trapping the garment between the two of them. Gently he drew it from between them and tossed it to the floor. He felt his erection stiffen even more between their bodies as it pressed against her stomach.

Hermione took his hand in her own and guided it to her chest. He gently brushed his fingertips across the skin there and decided quickly that it was the softest skin he'd ever felt with his own hands. When his fingers grazed her nipple, she moaned softly into his ear. He felt his heart leap in his chest at the sound.

Her lips found his again and their tongues fought for space as their bodies became more and more entwined. Harry felt Hermione's hand travel slowly down his stomach to the elastic at the top of his shorts. Her fingers lingered there for a moment before hooking over the edge of them and tugging downwards. He pushed his hips up from the padding of the couch to help her, and almost magically his underwear seemed to disappear.

For just a second he felt vulnerable, sitting her nude on a couch in front of Hermione, but the feeling quickly passed when their bodies came crashing back together again. Her fingers played torturously over the skin at the juncture of his thigh and abdomen, and she twirled them gently in the hair she found at the base of his stomach. When her fingers finally found his erection, he thought he would pass out right there. Her fingers traveled softly from the base up the length of the shaft all the way to the head of his penis. He felt himself jump in her hand.

Gently he whispered in her ear, "Are you sure you want to do this Hermione?"

She let go of him sitting back on the couch cushions, and looked at him quizzically for a moment. "I have never wanted anything more in my life. Is this what you want Harry?"

Harry took in the sight before him. Hermione sat with her hair hanging limply around her still damp from the bath. Her skin glowed in the firelight. He had never seen anything more beautiful. He reached up to take her chin in his hand. Leaning forward he trailed kisses from Hermione's lips down her neck to her collarbone in a wordless answer.

Hermione leaned back on the couch pulling Harry on top of her. His hands found her panties, in one swift movement they were on the floor next to his own underwear. With the removal of the final barrier between their bodies, the heat between them increased to a point of no return.

They lay on the couch together for a few more endless minutes before either of them spoke. It was Hermione's voice that broke the silence.

"Do you want to go to the bed Harry?"

He pushed himself up leaning on one elbow to look into her face picturing her lying under him on the huge bed waiting behind them. In one scoop, Harry took her into his arms. He carried her across the short spanse of carpet and laid her gently down on the comforter of the bed. She pushed herself up towards the pillows making room for Harry to climb onto the bed next to her.

They lay facing each other on the bed using their hands to explore each other's bodies. When Hermione took Harry's hand again, she led him down to the vee at the juncture of her legs. When his fingers pressed into her gently he could feel the wet heat that came off her in waves. She sighed as his fingers gently parted the folds of skin and found her center. The skin there was slick with her juices, and he found that his finger slid into her easily.

Her body tightened around his finger, and her back arched to press her body against his. He slid slowly back out of her by instinct. She moved against him slowly at first but with increasing speed.

"Oh God, Harry." She mumbled against his lips as he stroked her.

"You feel so good, Hermione."

"I want you to be my first," she spoke softly into his mouth. He pushed away from her for just a moment to look into her eyes as he spoke.

"I want you to be my first and my last. Everyday, forever . . ."

Hermione rolled onto her back and snuggled herself under Harry's arms. He pulled himself up on his elbows and positioned himself between her knees.

"Are you sure?" He hesitated for just a moment, but Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down towards her.

"I've never been more sure of anything. Trust me." Hermione's hands slid down his body towards his waist pulling their bodies closer together than Harry had ever thought possible. As he entered her, it felt like coming home. Her warmth welcomed him, and he breathed softly into her hair.

Their bodies became one, as the energy began to ebb and flow between them. Harry opened his eyes, and a glow surrounded them that grew more intense with every thrust. Hermione threw her head back against the pillow, and Harry's mouth found her neck.

The air was filled with electricity and a sound almost like a hum. The world seemed to close in around them, and there was nothing more important on Earth than her body beneath his. Hermione's legs wrapped around him, and she moaned softly into the hair that had fallen into her face.

He could feel her muscles begin to tighten around him inside her, and he pulled her close. The spasms of her body drove him over the edge, and with their release the magic that had surrounded them released in a blinding flash of light. Harry collapsed, the last of his energy spent, onto the bed next to Hermione. The two of them, drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


End file.
